Nanatsuki emerged from his Inner World.
His status interface had changed once more:
[Base Attributes (Shinigami)]:
Reiatsu Lv.95, Zanjutsu Lv.95, Kidō Lv.90, Hakuda Lv.90, Shunpo Lv.90, Hollowfication Lv.1
[Base Attributes (Hollow)]:
High-Speed Regeneration Lv.90, Hierro Lv.90, Cero Lv.90, Sonído Lv.1
A new "Hollowfication" stat had appeared in the Shinigami panel—along with a separate stat block for Hollow abilities.
Hollow traits only activated during Hollowfication.
Nanatsuki raised a brow slightly as he reviewed the stats.
The starting values of his Hollow attributes were incredibly high.
He'd already been a Captain Level for over two decades. During that time, his Zanjutsu, Kidō, Hakuda, and Shunpo had all steadily advanced to above level 90.
Level 90—this was the benchmark of true mastery. Only Captain-class Shinigami at the top of their craft ever reached it.
Among newly appointed captains, most only had Reiatsu at that level. If they had even one or two additional categories break 90, they'd already be considered specialized elites.
But Nanatsuki? He had no weaknesses left. Any one of his abilities could rival or surpass the other captains.
Zanjutsu, of course, needed no mention. He'd already opened his own school—his swordsmanship ranked among the very best in all of Soul Society.
After mastering all mid- and low-tier Kidō spells and learning many of the higher-tier ones, his Kidō had also reached Level 90.
Likewise, after mastering a suite of high-level Hakuda and Shunpo techniques, those stats rose accordingly.
Level 90 wasn't a casual barrier. Most Shinigami would never cross it in their entire lives.
And yet his starting Hollow stats—had three attributes instantly at Level 90.
Nanatsuki raised his hand before his face.
White material coalesced over his skin, forming a bone-white mask.
It fit perfectly to his facial structure. Two diagonal slits crossed the surface, like a sideways X-shaped scar.
The upper halves of the slits aligned precisely with his eyes.
His gaze had changed, too.
The whites of his eyes had turned pitch-black, and his pupils glowed stark white.
From each temple of the mask sprouted frozen lightning-shaped horns, splitting into three sharp prongs.
Power surged through him.
Upon Hollowfying, his Reiatsu had risen dramatically:
[Reiatsu Lv.95 (+1)]
"Hollowfication amplifies your existing power... My base Reiatsu is already high—so the transformation grants me High-Speed Regeneration, Hierro, and Cero right from the start."
Nanatsuki understood now why his Hollow stats were so high—they were building off a well-forged foundation.
Unlike Quincy powers, which conflicted with Shinigami traits, his Hollow strength was deeply integrated. It wasn't something separate. He didn't have to start from scratch.
"Hollowfication level affects duration and amplification… Raising it should let me maintain the form longer."
He glanced at the Hollowfication stat—only Level 1.
At that level, it could only last around ten seconds. The mask was already starting to dissipate.
But his Reiatsu was dense. He recovered fast. A short rest and he could Hollowfy again.
He focused and invested some of his unallocated General Ability EXP into it.
[Hollowfication Lv.10 (0/200)]
Hollowfication jumped to Level 10.
Nanatsuki conjured the mask once more.
The boost felt stronger than before—about 10% greater. Not enough to raise a whole level of Reiatsu, but noticeable nonetheless.
He drew his Zanpakutō. Reiatsu surged from within.
With a slash, a crimson arc cut forward.
The red crescent gouged a deep trench into the ground, streaking toward the boulder forest of the Forest of Menos.
BOOM—!!
Massive rocks caught in the crimson wave instantly disintegrated into dust.
"Cero can be channeled through sword strikes."
Nanatsuki was more than satisfied. This version of Getsuga Tenshō infused with Hollow energy was several times more destructive than before.
After a few moments, the mask faded again.
"At Level 10, Hollowfication lasts 100 seconds."
He did a mental calculation—it seemed each level increased duration by 10 seconds.
"My control is stable... Shadow Princess won't interfere."
His Hollow state was completely under control. There would be no berserk outbursts.
He still had plenty of General EXP left.
Of the 400,000 EXP reward from his disciples becoming Captains, 50,000 remained.
The Quincy disciples' recent training missions and promotions had earned him another 110,000 EXP.
Nelliel and Harribel evolving into Vasto Lordes gave him another 200,000.
And Nelliel's coronation as Queen of Hueco Mundo rewarded him with a whopping 500,000.
In total, he had 860,000 General EXP unspent.
He glanced at his Reiatsu stat.
[Reiatsu Lv.95 (169,000 / 500,000)]
Over the last two decades, his Reiatsu had naturally grown by over 100,000—without any General EXP investment.
After awakening his Zanpakutō, he had fully merged with Katori Batsu'unsai's Reishi Shell, becoming a wholly new spiritual entity.
Since then, his spiritual growth no longer had the bottlenecks typical of artificial spirits—it grew naturally.
Given a few more centuries, his Reiatsu might reach Level 100 on its own and attain First-Class Spiritual Might.
But he didn't have centuries.
The "Lord of Hell" would never grant him that much time to mature.
With a thought, he allocated 29,000 EXP to Hollowfication:
[Hollowfication Lv.56 (0/2000)]
Then poured the remaining 831,000 into Reiatsu:
[Reiatsu Lv.97 (0/500,000)]
His spiritual pressure exploded.
The surge was so intense that Nanatsuki couldn't restrain it—Reiatsu poured from him like a rampaging beast.
It overflowed violently, forming a glowing sphere of spirit energy not unlike a mid-tier Kidō explosion.
BOOM—!!
The ground beneath his feet vanished in an instant.
The energy sphere vaporized everything around him.
Shockwaves pulsed outward in violent ripples. Massive stone pillars crumbled under the pressure.
Nearby Menos were swept up in the blast, howling in agony as the waves tore through them.
Eventually, the chaos subsided. Nanatsuki adjusted to the new levels of power.
A hemispherical crater—nearly thirty meters wide—now scarred the land.
"The boost is insane… No wonder Yamamoto's Bankai could evaporate the entire Seireitei's water supply… Held long enough, it could set the whole Soul Society ablaze."
He scanned his spiritual body. The magnitude of growth was staggering.
The numbers on his status interface referred to his full-power states—Shikai and Bankai forms.
But the higher you climbed, the wider the gap between each level became.
His normal Reiatsu now surpassed what his Shikai had been before this growth. It was even closing in on what his Bankai used to be.